Germany, 1914.

Ludwig Schmidt is a young man whose face and life have been ravaged by a fire. As a result, he is shunned and ridiculed by German society. Yet Ludwig is an excellent cyclist, and when World War I begins he is quickly conscripted into the army. His mission: transporting messages and provisions for the German soldiers on the Eastern front with his bicycle. Ludwig faces great hardship and witnesses horror, yet this is overshadowed by the evil of an officer who torments him mercilessly. Ludwig reaches a point where his ability to resist being overcome with a desire for violent revenge against this man seems impossible. Only his faith in God gives him a chance...